Chapter 6 - THE SECOND RING
Nathan’s father, William Pierce, had been quiet for most of the evening.
That changed quickly.
He walked toward the table and picked up Chloe’s ring carefully.
“I chose the stone myself.”
Chloe shook her head.
“This is the same ring.”
“No.”
William turned it beneath the chandelier light.
“The original diamond had a tiny inclusion near the lower left edge.”
Nathan frowned.
“You could see it?”
“Under magnification.”
William looked toward the security camera.
“And the original setting had our jeweler’s private serial mark.”
My father turned toward Rebecca.
“Can we verify that here?”
“There is a jewelry appraiser attending the reception.”
For the first time all night, Eleanor looked truly frightened.
William noticed.
“Where is the original ring?”
Eleanor snapped,
“This is absurd.”
William ignored her.
“Nathan.”
Nathan stared at Chloe.
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve worn that ring for eleven months.”
“I’m telling you, this is the ring you gave me.”
William looked toward one of the guests near the front.
A silver-haired woman rose.
Her name was Helen Morris.
She owned one of the most respected jewelry houses in the state.
Within minutes, a private side table had been cleared.
Helen examined the ring with a loupe.
Nobody in the ballroom spoke.
Finally, she lowered it.
“This diamond is synthetic.”
Chloe went white.
Helen continued.
“Excellent quality.”
She looked toward William.
“But not the natural diamond you purchased.”
Nathan gripped the back of a chair.
“What is it worth?”
“Perhaps twenty-five to thirty thousand dollars with the setting.”
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“My father paid nine hundred and eighty thousand for the stone alone.”
Eleanor sat down.
My father noticed.
So did I.
Nathan looked at his new wife.
“Where is my ring?”
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears.
“I swear I don’t know.”
Amanda spoke from across the room.
“Your mother does.”
Eleanor stood so quickly her chair fell backward.
“You little liar!”
Amanda flinched.
Daniel immediately moved between them.
Amanda’s voice shook.
“She had Chloe switch it months ago.”
Chloe turned slowly.
“What?”
For once, her shock looked genuine.
Amanda stared at Eleanor.
“You told me Chloe knew.”
Chloe’s mouth opened.
“Mom?”
Amanda began talking faster.
“Your mother said you needed cash because the wedding was costing too much.”
“That’s a lie.”
“She gave me ten thousand dollars to take the ring to a jeweler in New York.”
William stared at Eleanor.
“What jeweler?”
“I don’t remember the name.”
Rebecca stepped closer.
“Try.”
Amanda shook her head.
“I never met him directly.”
She looked around the room.
“I gave the ring to a man in a hotel lobby.”
Nathan looked physically ill.
“My fiancée’s million-dollar engagement ring?”
Amanda started crying.
“I didn’t know what they were doing.”
Chloe turned toward her mother.
“You told me you had it cleaned.”
Eleanor’s face changed.
For the first time, I realized Chloe might not have known about the original ring.
She had participated in framing me.
But her mother had apparently been running a separate scheme.
“Mom.”
Eleanor looked at her daughter.
“Everything I did was for you.”
Chloe stepped backward.
“What did you do?”
Eleanor’s voice became desperate.
“Your wedding was becoming impossible.”
Nathan stared at her.
“My family paid for most of it.”
“You don’t understand.”
Eleanor looked around the ballroom.
“The guest list expanded.”
“The flowers changed.”
“The dress cost more than expected.”
Chloe whispered,
“You sold my ring?”
Eleanor said nothing.
That silence was enough.
Chloe sank into a chair.
Her entire wedding had become a crime scene.
But the worst part was still coming.
Rebecca looked down at her folder.
“There is another issue.”
My father sighed.
“Of course there is.”
Rebecca looked toward Dominic.
“The insurance policy was not purchased under Chloe’s name.”
Dominic frowned.
“What does that have to do with me?”
Rebecca turned the paperwork toward him.
“The policyholder is Carter Family Holdings.”
Dominic stared at the signature line.
His face emptied.
May you like
Because the signature at the bottom belonged to him.
---
